283 Harmonic Balancer??????

I recently purchaced a '63 Belair with a 283 V8. Looking at the front of the motor, it appears to be missing a harmonic balancer. I checked Advance Auto Parts online and the website is telling me that a harmonic balancer is not applicable on my yr/make/model. Needless to say i'm a little confused, do I need one or not? Please Help!!!!

Well your first mistake was going to Advanced Auto, no offense haha. Oh auto parts stores. They make me chuckle. Just make sure to steer clear of Auto Zone too I'd just browse through a Summit Catalog if i were you. Its a small block chevy so they're pretty much all universal. Summit makes an OEM replacement one for like 55 bucks. Or just head down to your nearest performance shop.

And look for internal balanced. Pontiac or 55 might have to correct me on this but i think the only externally balanced SBC was the 400.

If it has no balancer there would also be no way to drive the fan belt or alternator/generator. You are also going to need a drive pulley which hooks on to the balancer.
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OK I'm not picking, but... on a internally balanced, it is a harmonic damper. Just trying to be correct with terminology. It dampens crankshaft vibrations. On an external it serves double duty as a damper and a balancer, but is usually just called a balancer. Either way, you need one.
Jim70 El Camino461 solid, m20,pics in readers ridesthanks for over 3000 views

jcastor:I recently purchaced a '63 Belair with a 283 V8. Looking at the front of the motor, it appears to be missing a harmonic balancer. I checked Advance Auto Parts online and the website is telling me that a harmonic balancer is not applicable on my yr/make/model. Needless to say i'm a little confused, do I need one or not? Please Help!!!!

Got any pic's?

I run this on 400 SBC

I run hubs on my SBC, no balancer with no problems. I don't recommend it cause it is hard on the bearings and the crank. Here is 327 and 283 balancers and the same with only the hub, and BBC 454 and 427 blower hubs. Most blown motors and sprint cars don't run balancers either.

+1On the crank hub only,,, for track use it's done, as are small diameter multi disc clutches,,, so an engine "grabs" RPM's faster.On a 283 for street use, A crank balancer/harmonic damper is recommended.
When The Flag Drops.,.

i HAVE A 62 BELAIR 283. The balancer, if thats what it is called, looks nothing like what Im used to seeing as a harmonic balancer. More like a round plate to bolt the pulley to. Also there is no bolt holding it on. No threads in the end of the crank. Can anyone tell me about that?

How many Explosions have you seen when a dampner comes apart and destroys the engine and body work IF not flipping the car over in the process, and maybe retiring you permanently. The Energy stored in that 6" to 8"piece of steel is incredable!

It still amazes me what should be mandatory on any Hi-Po engine used for Drag racing or Circle Track, or whatever. That the use of a Hi-Performance dampner is not used, and in some classes should be mandatory! Yet the inspectors will break you chops about not having 3 full threads showing on a wheel stud.....

The guy that told him he doesn't need one, KNOW'S LESS then the person who asked a very important question. Now he gets a dumb answer from some Bone Head that sounds like he knows next to nothing!!!!

I remember that some of the vey early 283 and/or 327 are not bolted to the crank. It is a heat freeze ordeal! Thanks,Bob

I'm doing well Pepsi.,. I just don't post much on this forum anymore, since the "Bone Head" as you call him, caused WW-III on this site.Most, if not all the regulars have left because of this and the place is a ghost town. IMHOThe damper is a press fit on the early SB's and is required so accessory pulleys can be bolted to it.The damper snout also seals off the front of the engine, to prevent oil from leaking out.Later engines used larger dampers to store rotating energy.,. and yes, you need a damper for a street engine.copy/pasteA harmonic damper is a device fitted to the free (accessory drive) end of the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. It is essential in engines with long crankshafts (such as straight-8 engines) and is present on most engines as it reduces torsional vibrations that tend to peak at certain speeds.Without the presence of a damper a long crankshaft will tend to act as a torsional spring to some extent. Impulses applied to the crankshaft by the connecting rods will tend to "wind" this spring, which will respond (as a spring-mass system) by unwinding and re-winding in the opposite direction. This will usually be damped out naturally, but at certain crankshaft rotational speeds the impulses from the cylinder firing can be in synchronization with the natural resonant frequency. (Some aircraft engines are restricted from continuous operations at specific RPM to avoid the danger of metal fatigue causing a break in the crankshaft.) In an automotive engine there is little control over operation in such specific speed bands and furthermore there may be uncomfortable vibrations as the engine is operated through such speeds, even if not a problem for engine durability.Many small block V8 engines, such as Ford Windsor and Cleveland, Chevrolet small block 400 and big block 454, and certain Chrysler V8s, a portion of the crankshaft system's overall balancing may be provided by an unbalanced damper.The damper consists of an inner hub affixed usually by a key and keyway to the outer end of the crankshaft. An outer circular mass is attached to the hub by an integral rubber or other elastomeric section. This crankshaft and damper together become (in its torsional response) a spring-mass-damper system. By selection of the damping section material and the size of the outer mass the damper may be made to resist and thus quiet the specific torsional vibrations. These vibrations will not be at the same frequency as originally since additional mass has been added to the resonant system, so the damper must be tuned for the resultant circumstances. The overall appearance is that of a thick disk.The damper will be fitted at the front of the engine (opposite the clutch or transmission, just beyond the cover of the timing chain, gears, or belt, and behind the accessory drive pulley (which may carry one or more V-belts or a single serpentine cog-belt. In older vehicles there will usually be an inscribed timing mark, there for purposes of setting the ignition timing.Even though it is a simple system, a damper must be inspected by manufacturer. Long period racing requires more attention than other activities such as drag racing. Damper must be balanced otherwise it will hurt the engine rather than protect it from unwanted vibrations.